Sea Turtles Return to the Sea from Jeju

Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to rescue and treat nine artificially incubated sea turtles and release them into the wild

 The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) announced its plan to release nine sea turtles at Jeju’s Jungmun Saekdal Beach in order to protect marine life and preserve the marine ecosystem.

 The population of sea turtles is declining worldwide, and all seven species have been listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The MOF designated five sea turtle species* inhabiting Korea as marine protected species to support rescue, treatment, and artificial breeding projects for individual creatures at risk.

 As part of its sea turtle protection policy, the MOF has been releasing sea turtles on Jeju’s beaches since 2017 in cooperation with private rescue and treatment organizations. This year, on Wednesday, August 28, it will release nine sea turtles, including those rescued and treated or artificially hatched, back into the wild at Seogwipo-si’s Saekdal Beach.

 Sea turtles are frequently observed laying eggs on Saekdal Beach, which is considered suitable for the natural release of young turtles. Moreover, the risk of accidents after release is low because there are few fishing nets in the surrounding waters, and it is also an area where it is easy to move to the Pacific Ocean, the main habitat of sea turtles.

 Five of the nine sea turtles being released on this occasion were born via an artificial breeding project supported by the MOF, while the remaining four were rescued by a specialized institution and received treatment. The MOF decided to release the injured animals into the wild after expert opinion indicated they had recovered their health following emergency rescue. Satellite tracking devices (GPS) and individual identification tags to help determine their location have been attached to each of the released animals. The MOF plans to continuously observe the migration routes and habitats of sea turtles that have been returned to the wild after determining whether they have successfully adapted to the wild.